In-depth guides

Not just what to type.
How to think.

Everyone teaches prompts. Nobody teaches the thinking behind them. These guides cover the mental models that separate people who get extraordinary results from people who think AI is overrated.

4
Deep guides
8
Thinking techniques
5
Tool levels explained
R0
All free
Four guides — read in order or pick what you need
Guide 01 — Foundation
The Blank Slate Problem
Claude starts every conversation knowing nothing about you. Understanding this single fact — and acting on it — is the biggest unlock in AI. Most people never do.
You'll learn:
  • Why generic questions produce generic answers
  • The five things to include in any serious prompt
  • How to ask Claude what context it needs
  • How to set up a Project that never forgets you
Read the guide →
Guide 02 — Technique
The Thinking Partner
Most people use Claude to produce things. The real power is using it to think — to challenge your assumptions, expose your blind spots, and stress-test your plans before you commit.
You'll learn:
  • The Pre-Mortem: assume it failed, work backwards
  • The Devil's Advocate: argue the opposite
  • The Blind Spot Finder: what you're not seeing
  • 5 more techniques, each with a ready-to-copy prompt
Read the guide →
Guide 03 — Critical skill
Testing Your Output
A confident, well-structured, completely wrong answer looks identical to a correct one. This is the guide nobody else publishes — how to verify before you act.
You'll learn:
  • The five-question verification framework
  • What to trust vs. what to check independently
  • Red flags that should trigger your scepticism
  • The self-audit prompt that surfaces hidden problems
Read the guide →
Guide 04 — Progression
The Tool Progression
Free chat is just the start. Claude Pro, the API, Claude Code, and MCP servers each unlock something meaningfully different. Here's the honest breakdown of what each level is and when you actually need it.
You'll learn:
  • What Claude Pro's Projects actually change
  • What the API unlocks (and how simple it is to start)
  • What Claude Code is and who it's really for
  • MCP servers in plain English
Read the guide →
Suggested reading path

If you're starting from scratch

Read the guides in order. Each one builds on the last. Then do Prompt School to put it into practice.

01

Start here: The Blank Slate Problem

Understand why context is everything. Read this before you do anything else. Read →

02

Then: Prompt School

Eight lessons that build the core skills. Takes about an hour. Start →

03

Then: The Thinking Partner

Eight techniques for using Claude to reason, not just produce. Read →

04

Then: Testing Your Output

How to verify before you act. The skill most people skip. Read →

05

When you're ready: The Tool Progression

Only when you've built the habit. Then decide what level you actually need. Read →

Already using Claude?

Jump to what you need

If you use Claude but feel like you're not getting the most out of it, these are the highest-leverage things to fix first.

After the guides

Now go use it.

Reading about prompting is useful. Actually prompting is better. Open Claude, pick a real problem from your life, and apply one thing from the guides you just read.

Open Claude Free → Browse 70+ use cases